The
brain filters out most of the information it receives, leaving only what it
considers important.
So says Rule number 4 of
the ‘Rules of Magic’ that I, as a communication consultant and member of The
Magic Circle, apply to coaching the business community in Presentation Skills.
Psychologists argue about
how much information the brain takes in every single second – I have seen
estimates ranging from 500 to as much as 11 million! What they all agree on is that the brain can
only retain a small number of those pieces of information - between about 16 and
40. Modern life has of course exacerbated this disparity, what with marketing
messages bombarding us through multi-media 24 hours a day.
Think about when you have
chosen a new car or perhaps changed your mobile phone. You have probably
devoted careful time and consideration to your decision and may even be
congratulating yourself on the select nature of your choice. And then suddenly
you seem to see that model everywhere!
It’s because it has become important
to you. I had exactly this experience when my car was due to its annual MOT
test. The local testing centre had closed down and I cursed the fact that I
would have to go in search of another and fretted over how inconvenient it
would be getting to and from an alternative supplier, once I had found one. I
decided to peer down some alleys near my home in case there was a test centre I
had failed to spot in the past. What actually happened was that I pulled out
into the main road, just around the corner from my house, and 50 metres on the
right was a giant sign saying ‘MOT tests and all your motoring needs’. I had
been driving past this sign for nine years – it was even on the school run -
and yet it had never registered with me before, because an MOT test had not
been important to me. Now that it was important to me the sign loomed large.
This is how people and
objects can remain ‘hidden in plain sight’; they blend in so well
This is exactly as he
described the watch test to me; you might like to try it for yourself.
Without looking, tell me if your watch has
Roman or Arabic numerals, or maybe dashes
or dots?
Incredible as it
may seem, many people do not know the answer, despite the fact they are looking
at their watch all day, every day. Allow them to look to see or check the
answer, then ask:
How is the three / six
position marked on your watch?
In spite of
having just looked at their watch, many are unsure or incorrect, having failed
to register that the date or other device actually fills this position. Allow
them to look to see or check the answer, then ask:
Has it got a second hand?
Some people will
even be unsure about this, but if they answer with great confidence ask them a
further question: does it move in steps or sweep motion? Allow them to look to
see or check the answer, then ask:
Finally, what time is it?
They have just
looked at their watch three times and yet most people will be unable to tell
you the time – it simply failed to register.
As David Berglas says: “You looked but you didn’t see”.
So, as well as making our
messages clear to our audience we need to make them important to our audience. This is why the best magicians borrow
items from their audience rather than simply make their own handkerchief or whatever
disappear – it ensures much closer attention.
The answer to how the business presenter can achieve a similar effect is
usually staring them in the face – the more you personalize your message to
your audience, the more you are talking about their favourite subject and the
more important your communication seems to be.
Extracted and adapted from Nick Fitzherbert's book
Presentation Magic, published by Marshall Cavendish
Presentation Magic, published by Marshall Cavendish
No comments:
Post a Comment